Ever been involved in auto accident while carrying?

[mugsie]

I was curious, since I always concealed carry and I drive a lot. Fortunately for me, I've never been involved in an accident and I'm hoping I never will be, but for those of you who coneal carry, or are simply carrying in your auto, have you ever had an accident where the ambulance was called? Did they have to extract you and if so, what happened to your guns? Were they confiscated and were they ever returned? I, and other I'm sure, would like to hear what happened and how you handled it.

Thanks and stay well.....

 

[Sam1911]

Yes, earlier this year. One-vehicle roll-over accident in snow/ice. I was able to self-extract myself and the kids. Carrying 1911 in OWB holster & 2 mags. We were checked out and I gave the responding officer my statement in the ambulance. The gun stayed right in place during the accident and was not disclosed during the checkup or statements.

A good friend of mine is a former EMT and now a deputy coroner. She says that the high number of gun-carriers (near 700,000) in our state means that this comes up all the time and is no big deal. Generally the firearm is treated like any other personal possessions/valuables found on you when you're being worked on. Placed in a box until you're ready to take it all back.

It's your property, lawfully (well... we hope!) in your possession at the time of your accident. Why wouldn't it be returned? To do otherwise would be theft -- just as if your Rolex went missing.

 

[Crash_Test_Dhimmi]

I was moving from Fort Campbell TN to Northern Virginia last year. My Prius, (I can now tell people I am so much a conservative that I have destroyed a Prius) rolled over four times on my way. I had a 45 USP CT in an IWB at 5 oclock. But after several hours of on the road I moved it to my cargo pocket.

My car flipped, I checked on my family, pulled my son out, (we all walked away). I was shaken, and I saw someone in a reflective vest, I asked if they were Law Enforcement, she said she was a sheriff's deputy. First thing out of my mouth was "My State requires me to inform you that I am legally carrying a concealed firearm". She asked where it was, I said my cargo pocket. I was holding my son with both hands so she reached in and took it.

Later in the hospital a different deputy returned it to me. It was in my backpack from the crash, the gun was in one pocket, the magazine with all rounds loose were in another pocket. We chatted, the deputy used to be 101st. I am military and had permits from two states for carrying, and I was in a free-state so there was no draconian policies of holding the gun for forever and a day. Had I been in a non-Free state, Im sure I would have been arrested for something arbitrary like "possession of unregistered ammunition".

 

[mugsie]

WOW! Glad you guys and your families were ok. Also good to hear that the guns were treated in a professional manner and all worked out well. I too live in PA, albiet the eastern portion. It's nice to see that EMS workers are not freaked out by the appearance of a weapon.

 

[sarge83]

Yeah, had a fender bender which put my truck out of commission. I knew the cop and he was giving me and my son a ride to my parents business after my truck was towed. I told him I had a pistol in the glove box and could I get it out and take it with me. He said sure just stick it in the cruiser. Worked out fine.

 

[Kleanbore]

Two weeks ago today, I was rear-ended on an acceleration ramp when I was forced to slow somewhat by dueling semis on the highway and the guy behind me was accelerating fast. Visibility on the ramp is bad and people on the road cannot see the people on the ramp until the last minute. I have since learned that a lot of serious accidents occur there.

My car came to a stop on a bridge about 600 feet later, and I could not get out on the left because of the highway traffic. When police and fire officers arrived and asked about my condition, I told them I could give them an assessment after they had closed the outside lane and I could get out.

That took some time, so the officers proceeded to ask for my license and insurance card. We do not have a requirement to disclose here, but I handed the officers my CCW endorsement card along with the other two items. They took one short glance and handed it back without comment.

When I got out they asked me whether I wanted to go to the hospital, and I declined, probably unwisely. An officer asked where I would like him to take me to await a ride home, and one choice was ruled out because the establishment prohibits firearms on the premises. The officer asked again about hospitalization, and I declined, and he drove me to a Quik Trip. If I had had the presence of mind at the time, I would have asked what they do with the firearm when one is taken to the hospital, where guns are prohibited.

 

[Beaux Nehr]

I'd planned on making a thread about this very subject.


At the risk of veering slightly off the road (sorry for the bad pun ): Were any of you injured by your guns?

I carry a 5" 1911 at 2 - 3:00 in an IWB, and I always wondered if it would break my ribs in the event of a collision.

 

[wally]

Rear ended on my way home from the range by an idiot with no insurance. Luckily only minor damage and the insurance adjuster added replacing the spare tire cover to the claim which by choosing not to replace covered the deductible (totally his idea!).

Glad I was carrying as the guy was pretty sketchy, but there were no issues.

 

[ForumSurfer]

Rear ended once. I have a duty to inform, so I informed the officer. He looked at me up and down, then asked "where" and "in what condition." I told him strong side hip, glock 19 and chambered. That was the last thing we mentioned regarding firearms.

I sometimes ride with the slide under my right thigh, butt out or stuffed between the seat and console in a spare holster with little retention. I try not to do this and I advise against it, but I find myself guilty of it. I'm worried that if I get in a bad accident, it will fly away from me. I've said it before in other posts, but I'm just worried it will fly out the window (as I've seen happen with a loose laptop when I was t-boned) and I'll be wandering the roadside looking for my lost item (once again). I just need to break down and buy a thumb break holster and sew a length of seat belt strap through the belt loops and to the seat bolsters to secure it better.

 

[dogsoldier0513]

Yep! June 1987, right when the first cases of 'road rage' were being reported out west by the media. I T-boned a guy @ 55MPH with my brand new Mitsubishi 4X4. I was CCWing a Wather PP in .32ACP at the time.

 

[philpost]

About 2 months ago, an idiot with her 2 kids in the car took a right turn too fast on a rainy day, jumped a center divide barrier, plowed into the car in front of me, and sent it into my front grill. Thank God no one was hurt. When there was some chance that my car would be towed without me, I mentioned to the deputy that I had a shotgun in the back that I would need to secure. He asked if it was loaded, and I told him it was. He asked if I had a CCW, and I told him I did. That was it. I ended up being able to ride with my car, although I would have loved to have seen the face of the driver who had caused the accident if I had pulled out my 870.

 

[Monkeyleg]

Back when I drove a truck in Chicago, I got into a pretty bad crash with a bozo on a cell phone. EMT's took me to Cook County hospital. While I was en route to the hospital, some firefighter found the pistol I kept under the dash, and told the cops.

Just when I thought I'd be leaving the hospital with only a broken arm for my trouble, the Chicago cops took me in for carrying a concealed weapon. Then they dropped the big one on me: my prints matched those of a suspect in a New York double homicide.

I tried to tell them it wasn't me, but they wouldn't listen, and dragged me out of the room. I managed to get hold of one of the cop's glasses and...

Oh, wait. That was a movie.

Never mind.

 

[IsoMAcK]

I was traveling to work through a rural town when a tow truck blew the red light and ended up in front of me while I was passing through the intersection at 40 mph or so.

I am in Massachusetts, and have what we call a "Class A LTC, large capacity, with no restrictions" allowing me to legally carry concealed. The impact caused the car to spin 270 degrees, and the front of my car was literally shredded to the firewall. I had a couple of blown discs in my neck, and had to go in an ambulance. Once the paramedics arrived, I informed one of them that I was carrying. She had the responding LEO take my 30's Colt Detective Special and IWB, and after my stay in the hospital, I immediately went to the police station to retrieve my gun. A silver-haired detective came out with an evidence bag marked "has permit to carry" in marker with the cartridges removed, and asked me why I felt the need to carry in such a "safe" town. I responded with something like "just exercising my 2nd amendment rights, sir." He said nothing, and despite looking odd in my neck brace and hospital gown (they insisted on cutting the clothes off of me at the ER), he gave me back my gun.

 

[Rebel2345]

I was riding shotgun while carrying when this accident occurred.

It was me and a friend of mine(Ryan) going to get some lunch. We got to that 4 way stop, we each looked both ways before going through and such. The girl in the Taurus was well down the road, it didn't even register that she wouldn't stop. So we go through the intersection, and I noticed her RIGHT before she hit us, doing at least 55, only just locked up the brakes at the stop sign.The back end lifted up and did a complete 180 before landing on the front end of the Suburban that was stopped across the intersection from us.

Luckily no one was seriously injured. The girl who hit us had a nose bleed from her airbags, I had a sore shoulder from the seat belt, and Ryan was completely fine. The kids in the Suburban actually came up to me and told me "We thought you were dead for sure mister!"

Anyways, I called 911 as soon as I came out of a daze to inform them of the accident and where it happened, how many cars, people, if anyone was hurt, all that. Before she hung up, I told the dispatcher to let the responding officers know that I was a CPL holder and that I was carrying my pistol. She asked my description and I let her know how to pick me out.

So when the police showed up, they asked who was involved and if everyone was OK. His partner took me off to the side for a second and asked if I was the one with the CPL, and I told him yes. He just asked me to please unload my firearm and put the magazine in my pocket until everything was cleared up, which I personally had no problem with.

 

[Ike R]

Once on the way back from hunting I was t-boned by a drunk driver. I had already called 911, because I had a bad cut on my wrist and my leg was broken, and they where "dispatching an officer" when he exited his vehicle and began beating on the roof of my car screaming at me. I informed the dispatcher what was going on and asked her to stay on the line, I also informed her that I had an arsenal with me. Browning 12 gauge semi-auto, Colt Commander, Ruger Blackhawk in .357, 30-06 winchester lever gun, and my AR-15.....the silence on the other end of the line was as deafening as the crash impact on my F150. It faded away as she said " Are you going to have to shoot him?" and I said "I don't think I will have too" as he had suddenly moved a VERY respectful distance away to sick up on the side of the road and then sit and stare at me and my truck till help arrived in the form of an Ambulance and 2 cars of state troopers.

When the LEO's got there I knew one of them from FFA in High School, and the drunk who was from out of that town as well and heading back from the beach (ironically near my house) said to him as he was cuffed " But that dude with the guns hit me!! HE HAS GUNS!!"

My LEO FFA friend asked if he could unload my guns since I was in no shape to work an action, and I let him, he sat them in the backseat of his patrol car and asked if I wanted them taken to the station or If I would rather have them dropped off at his uncles house a few blocks away if he could recieve permission to do so. I knew his uncle through him so it was a no-brainer to me because he was a hunter and shooter as well.

I took my hospital ride, recieved 12 stitches and a cast, and picked up my guns at his uncle's house late that night. The impact had cracked the stock of my shotgun!

never found out if the drunk had seen the guns, or heard me listing them to the dispatcher, either way the effect was the same on him.

Sobering..

 

[Sebastian the Ibis]

A few months ago, I took my gun off and put it in a backpack in my trunk since I had to go into a bar - on business, didn't drink anything. Stupid me didn't put it back on, and wouldn't you know it I got side swiped. Then I find myself in the akward position of needing to get in my trunk to get the spare tire, but not wanting to when the guy who hit me, his nephew and co-worker are are all standing around.

Note to self- keep gun on self, don't leave it trunk.

 

[merlinfire]

" But that dude with the guns hit me!! HE HAS GUNS!!"

Absolutely classic

 

[MedWheeler]

I wasn't carrying at the time, but had a .357 revolver in the glovebox when my truck was struck by a car that ran a stop sign. There were no injuries. I was delivering pizzas for a living at the time (this was in 1987.) The responding officer was doing her paperwork, and told me she needed to peek inside my truck, which was now tangled up in a low-hanging tree and a bus stop, to get my odometer reading. When she looked in, she asked me "where's your gun?" I told her where it was. She checked it, put it back, and not another word was said. I don't know how she knew I even had one; there was nothing in the cab to give it away. Perhaps it was common knowledge in the LE community that pizza guys pack.
Incidentally, I myself became a LEO later that year, and never encountered an accident report form that had a space for odometer readings.

 

[ScratchnDent]

Yes, about 3 years ago.

I was on the Interstate when a woman going the other direction lost control. went airborne over the median, and landed on the hood of my car.

I was standing on the side of the highway, along with everyone else involved, when the police arrived. I gave the officer my Drivers License and Carry Permit when he asked for ID. He asked if I was carrying, and where it was, and took it, unloaded it, and locked it in his trunk until the people in the other vehicle were gone and I was leaving with the tow truck driver, when he handed it back to, slide zip-tied open, and the ammo and mags loose in a zip-loc bag.

I called my Dad, who lives not far from where the accident occurred, to come pick me up at the impound lot where my car had been towed. By the time he arrived, the shock was wearing off and my leg was swelling enough that I decided I shouldn't have refused the ambulance ride to the hospital, after all. Turns out I'd been standing and walking on a broken leg for the last hour and a half.

 

[CajunBass]

Four or so years ago I crashed a motorcyle on the way home from work. I wasn't hurt, no one else was involved, but the bike wouldn't start. Someone called the cops so they and the resuce squad showed up in a couple of minutes. While the R/S was checking me out (I refused transport) the cop wrote up an accident report. I handed him my D/L and CHP. He glanced at the chp, then copied the information off my D/L and handed them both back. He never said anything about either the permit or the S&W 39, now openly carried on my hip. Then he handed me a copy of his report, and said "Glad you weren't hurt." By then the bike had started. He went his way, I went mine.

 

[HoosierQ]

Yep. Rural LEOs didn't bat an eyelash as there was no alcohol or other issues. Just took my rifle out of the trunk and put it in the car we drove away in.

 

[seal]

had my pistol riding SOB when my friend decided to put his m3 into a ditch at high speed. Other than having a nifty looking bruise in my back and a stripe on my front from the seat belt no problems. We were on our way to work. what a way to start a morning.